The doorbell rang.

“Coming!” She cleaned her hands and removed her apron.

‘Who could it be at this kind of the hour?’ she thought. She walked towards the front door and opened it.

“…Yoona!? Oh my God!”

“Taeyeon!” The two hugged each other, a long warm embrace that Yoona longed and missed so very much.

“How…how? It’s only been 20 months!”

Yoona grinned. “Good behavior. They released me four months ahead.”

“But they never told me. If I knew I would be there to pick you up. Did you just take a flight all the way to Korea?”

“Yeah. I wanted to see you. Don’t worry Taeyeon. It’s fine.”

“Please come in! It’s snowing outside. Please.”

“This is my first time being in Korea actually…and my first time seeing snow too. Wow your house is really nice!”

“Thanks. Please have a seat. Do you like the snow?”

“Yeah yeah. It’s…different. Oh, I bought you presents!”

“Yoona, you really shouldn’t have. I don’t need all those gifts, child.”

“No, it’s no trouble at all! It’s the least I can do. Here these are for you, and… these are for Yuri! Where is she? Is she out?”

She felt that familiar scratching on her leg.

“Sam! Hahaha my boy! How are you my cuddly little prince!?”

It has been a long time, even Sam looked bigger and older, but still as playful.

“Yoona, come. Have a seat. There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Alright,” Yoona sat on the couch next to the fireplace. It felt warm and cozy.

“I didn’t know you were going to be released so soon. Don’t get me wrong, I am delighted but this was so abrupt, I hadn’t planned for it.”

“Oh. Am I interrupting? I wanted to surprise you, that’s all. I could check into a hotel if you want.”

“Yoona, no. That’s not what I meant,” Taeyeon sighed.

“Tae, it’s alright. Something troubling you? What’s wrong?”

“Yoona, Yuri had just passed away a week ago.”

Yoona didn’t reply. She couldn’t. She just stared at her.

Taeyeon shifted her sight to the fireplace.

“She...died of an asthma attack in her sleep. She…she went peacefully. Her funeral is two days from now.”

Yoona covered as her eyes felt heavy and watery. She looked on the floor, still shocked with the news.

“Oh my God. I-I…”

Taeyeon wrapped the poor girl around her arms. She could feel her trembling. It was such a bad timing and a poor way to break the news. She hadn’t planned it this way. But then again, since when life went the way people planned it to?

“Let me get you a hot chocolate,” Taeyeon went into the kitchen and prepared the drink. It gave her sometime to think. When she went out into the hall, Yoona wasn’t at the fireplace.

“Yoona?”

Taeyeon searched around and found her standing beside the window, looking outside into the snowy sky.

“Here, Yoona.”

“I won’t cry, Taeyeon. I-I’ll be strong this time, for Yuri. This is what she would have wanted.”

“Yeah, Yuri wants you to be strong, but most of all? She wants you to be yourself. There is no need to be someone else, she loved you the way you were.”

“I failed her, Taeyeon. She was disappointed in me the last time she saw me. I shoved her off. I-I…” Despite her trying, a tear dropped down her cheek.

“No, Yoona, no,” Taeyeon hugged the shivering girl, “No, don’t you tell yourself that. Yuri loved you; she never gave up in you. And she was right. Look at you now.”

“I dissed her off, Taeyeon. Dear God, I don’t know why I did that. She was--She was trying to talk sense into me and…and…I just-”

Taeyeon laid a finger on Yoona’s lips. “No, child. Yuri has forgiven you, Yoona. I know her, she’s my sister. She still loves you. You, now, are the fruit of all her love and effort. She will be so proud of you.”

Taeyeon wiped off the tear on the girl’s cheek and kissed her forehead.

“You make both of us proud, your parents too. It’s cold here. Let me add some firewood,” Taeyeon walked to get the wood at the corner of the living room.

“Taeyeon.”

“Yes?” Taeyeon stopped in her tracks and turned around.

“That story, you told me. A long time ago. About your friend, Sunny.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you find her?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“I went out to find her the following morning. I was too drained out the night before and I was still traumatized from us getting lost in the woods. We yelled her name, made smoke signals but to no avail. So we split up to find her. And I did.”

“How was she?”

Taeyeon shifted her gaze to the fire.

“I found her sprawling on the ground. She fell from the cliff. She…she didn’t make it.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“When I saw her that way, I was devastated. But then, her arms were in a peculiar position, like she was hugging something. When I opened her embrace, you know what I saw? I saw the injured puppy, safe and sound, cuddled up warmly in her arms. She gave her life to save the poor puppy…

I brought the puppy home but I wasn’t sure if I could take care of it properly. Then, a lovely couple whom I was working for told me they wanted a dog, for their daughter.”

“Wait…that puppy…?”

Taeyeon smiled warmly. “When I first brought the puppy over and I saw how happy you were and how much you loved him, I knew. I understood why Sunny would give her life for a mere stray puppy.  She believed. Her legacy lives on through Sam,” Taeyeon walked and held Yoona’s hands, “Just as Yuri lives on through you, Yoona. You are Yuri’s legacy.”

“’If we turn our backs to everything but ourselves, there will not be a thing worth dying for.’”

Taeyeon traced her fingers along the girl’s cheek.

“Yes, child. That was what Sunny believed. That was what Yuri believed.”

***

“Thank you pastor for that beautiful speech. My name is Im Yoona. Technically speaking, Yuri was my servant. But to me, she was more than that, I realize that now. She was my friend, loyal, uncompromising, loving.

My speech may not be flowery, but it’s from deep down in my heart, how I felt and I would like to share it with you people. First of all, thank you for attending. Today marks a memorable day in my life, a deep great loss which I will find irreplaceable. Yuri…she was with me ever since my cries echoed through the hallways of my house. She has always been there for me, no matter what…no matter how much I hurt her. I would-I would scold her for the littlest things and she will just accept it. She would advise me on stuff and I would ignore. She believed in me, and I broke it. I had everything in my hands once, a long time ago, and I threw it all away. I followed my impulse and I lost everything.

Yuri…I could still see her disappointment clearly in my head, the moment when I was sentenced to jail, and yet, no, I didn’t comfort her or console her. I shoved her off.

In prison, I learnt the truth about hardship in life, and how lucky I was to have her. She was always there to guide me, show me the path. Without her, I was lost, like I was in prison. I did many things that I wasn’t proud of. I trampled on people, I used people, I betrayed people, my friends, all for my own sake and survival. It was then I learnt, I realized.

I-I never had the chance to tell her this...

Now, all that remains of her, lies here, in my heart.

A memory, treasured.

Yuri…if you can hear this, thank you.”

After the funeral, everyone went home. Yoona was shuffling through her baggage when she took out a tape. She held it and took a big sigh. She walked to the fireplace, took a last look and threw it into the fire.

“Goodbye, Alan.”

Time didn’t heal, just got used to the pain. But it was time to move on.

“Yoona, why are you packing?”

“I’m not staying, Taeyeon. I want to start over. I want to redeem what I have lost, but I can’t do that here. I have to do this on my own.”

“Where will you be going?”

“Back. I will restart from where I began. Home.”

“You know, I may no longer be your servant, but you are still part of my family. Stay in touch okay?”

Yoona moved over and hugged the elder closely, one last time.

“Goodbye, Taeyeon.”

***

The airport was musty, the sounds of people chattering away were deafening, but Yoona seemed to have got used to it. It was raining, again. The road was wet and slippery. There were no taxis in sight. No choice but wait. Yoona sat on the bench at the pickup point. In front of her, was the field, drenched and muddy from the rain.

“Tiffany was right.”

Yoona smiled.

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”